Adelaide favourites The 60 Four are once again dusting off their jackets and gearing up for not one, but two extraordinary Fringe shows.
Last year The 60 Four embarked on their first Australian tour and it’s no surprise why they have quickly been heralded as ‘Australia’s best tribute act’. They dazzle audiences, presenting old school classics with modern production values, exciting choreography and contemporary big brass riffs in a Las Vegas style extravaganza.
The 60 Four’s director and vocalist, Ben Francis, recently caught up with Glam Adelaide’s Arts Editor, Ben Stefanoff, to talk about The 60 Four’s two huge Fringe shows and to find out how their most recent Perth tour went.
“It was brilliant. It was the second time we’ve been to Perth. We went the first time last year and it was a bit of a long time coming because of all of that COVID border issues. But this year it was the first year there was nothing on the COVID radar. We were able to do three shows in Perth: one down in Mandurah and two at the Astor Theatre in the city. Thankfully, they all sold really well. We performed with a local nine-piece band that featured some amazing Western Australian talent.“
This weekend The 60 Four will be bringing their brand new show, Living In The ‘70s, to Gluttony. Having established themselves as a sensational 1960s music tribute act, Ben shared some insight about why the group is branching into the next decade.
“A lot of people are asking ‘but aren’t you The 60 Four?’ When we perform we’ve got our big 60 Four sign behind us whilst doing this 1970s music. It has been a nice challenge, however, to look at new music. All of our shows change a bit and we change the repertoire, but here we have a completely new show, a new era and a new duration. Our shows are usually the two hour format, so having just the one hour has been really fun to play with, especially trying to work out how much music we can get into sixty minutes without going over time.”
The 1970s was the birthplace of some remarkable music and artists.
“The music that came out of the 1960s was very experimental, and what we found looking into this 1970s music is that a lot of the music had become much more refined – this is especially true when you look at the disco era. In the 70s, all these bands found their groove a lot more and the nightlife really started opening up. The tunes and the melodies that came out of that decade were, I would suggest, some of the more lasting songs and bands that you hear, even to this day, That’s the most popular kind of music even now to listen to. The more we looked into the 1970s, the more we were surprised as to how much music originated from that decade. The 70s were just as influential to the music scene as the 60s were.”
We asked Ben what will be packed into this hour-long celebration of the 1970s.
“One of the things we do as a group is try and make it as holistic a tribute act as possible – we really try and give it a slice of the era, rather than just paying tribute to a couple of bands. There’s no two songs by the same artists and we’ve really tried to span the whole decade. So we’ve got The Jacksons, Sky Hooks, John Paul Young and Sherbet, and all of those amazing Australian rock bands that came out of that decade. Of course there is ABBA and the Bee Gees. The music that came out of the 1970s was so diverse. You’ve got disco and then you’ve got the rock as well. The rock especially coming out of Australia was quite amazing.”
The 60 Four will also be taking their Live In Concert extravaganza across the state this Fringe.
“It’s our big two and a half hour, Las Vegas style tribute show, and it’s got all of the hits. It’s got The Beatles, Beach Boys, Frankie Valli And The Four Seasons, Johnny O’Keefe, and a bit of Elvis. Again, holistic of the 1960s, and, of course, a few of the 70s classics, too. We do a lot of Bee Gees in that show, too, trying to stay true to those harmonies. That was kind of what our group was founded on, that type of four or five part harmonies. We’ve always tried to reach as much of South Australia as possible and this year is no different.”
The 60 Four: Live In Concert will be appearing at The Shedley Theatre (Elizabeth), Norwood Concert Hall (Norwood), Hopgood Theatre (Noarlunga), Northern Festival Centre (Port Pirie), Middleback Arts Centre (Whyalla) and Chaffey Theatre (Renmark).
Ben spoke about how vital it is to get the Arts out of the CBD and make it accessible to everyone.
“It is totally vital and I think too few acts do it. I get why – it is a monumental challenge, to be frank. We tour the 13 piece on-stage party plus two techs and a front of house manager. So we’ve got 16 people that travel. If you think of that in terms of accommodation, food allowances, travel costs, it’s massive. But I think it’s so important in terms of location accessibility – giving these regions a good show is important. Also there are beautiful theatres out there. They’re from the era of Don Dunstan, so you’ve got these amazing, technically equipped theatres that are basically The Dunstan Playhouse just dropped everywhere and they’re just not used. I would encourage anyone to get out and tour regionally because they’re some of our best shows. The audiences are so grateful that you go that it’s been some of our highlights.”
The 60 Four: Living In The ‘70s:
February 16 – 18 at 6.30pm
The Flamingo – Gluttony
Tickets and further information can be found at: https://adelaidefringe.com.au/fringetix/the-60-four-living-in-the-70s-af2024
The 60 Four: Live In Concert:
February 24 – March 23.
For venue dates, tickets and further information, visit: https://adelaidefringe.com.au/fringetix/the-60-four-live-in-concert-af2024
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